


Signed, Sealed, Delivered...

by thesnowyswan



Series: Kinktober: 2018 [3]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Enemies to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 16:20:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesnowyswan/pseuds/thesnowyswan
Summary: [17.Masturbation |Seduction|Collaring | Orgasm Denial]He’s had worse ideas, and he’s had better ones. Getting Aaron Dingle to give up the goods, so to speak, is definitely one of the worst. There’s every chance he won’t even give Robert a chance, but this is the best shot he’s got of getting what he wants.All is fair in love and war. Or in business and in pleasure. The CEO/board of directors!let's make a deal!AU no one asked for.





	Signed, Sealed, Delivered...

**Author's Note:**

> I can't let things just sit on my hard drive if they're done, especially labours of love, so here is this.
> 
> As you'd expect, illgetmerope, robertisbisexual and letthebluerain are part of the crack squad who stop me from cracking, but rustandruin really got me off my arse with this. They made me work on this when I really didn't want to and helped me so much when I got stuck.
> 
> A pointless side note: the Dingle family company is called Dingle Industries, per letthebluerain's request and Robert's company is obviously Rug Tree Bonds (as they are not actually mentioned in this fic).

Robert has very few ambitions in life, believing that he should dedicate his time to be the best at one thing over many, and his one overarching ambition in life? To be a success. It requires steps, of course: being CEO of your own company by the time you’re thirty, business prowess, and knowing how to strike a deal.

He can look at a plan and know if it’s going to work, and this one, _this one is gold_. His greatest achievement. All for what it will be after he’s done with it. It’s taken him all of his business acumen to get him to this point of the process where all he has to do is close in on a site and he can begin building. He has the perfect place in mind.

 _It’s gonna be brilliant_.

The issue is that the plans require taking over a certain cross-section of land in his home village of Emmerdale. Only it’s held by a trust, one that he and several other families sit on a board of directors for. Up until now, he had it pretty much on lock with Zak Dingle, the former representative for the Dingle family, but amidst other things in recent months, Zak has stepped down in favour of his nephew, Aaron.

Aaron is a problem wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a scowl. He does not like being the CEO of his family’s company, or Robert. He scoffs when Robert speaks and generally gets up his nose at every possible moment. Robert isn’t even sure he’s ever seen Aaron do anything in a meeting that didn’t require doodling on a notepad.

And yet, Robert needs his signature on the land ownership document, and Aaron pretty much told him where to shove it the last time he asked. He knows he could simply _tell_ Aaron what it’s for, but he doesn’t see why he has to. His action plan is solid and it’s worth everything he’s willing to pay for it. Aaron is an upstart through and through, no education to his name, Robert a graduate from LSE, he should be begging Robert to give him the land for development.

Still, he has a new plan, a better plan to get Aaron on board, and he’s walking out of the lift to Aaron’s office before he’s been stopped by Aaron’s receptionist.

“You can’t go in there,” She says, her hand hovering over Robert’s chest.

“It won’t take a second.”

“Mr Sugden—”

Robert opens the door and he’s met with the most curious image. He simply turns out and walks back out, letting the door snick shut and heads back to the lift.

Aaron is walking behind him very fast, he barely catches Robert’s arm, and then they’re in the lift together, going down.

“You’re—” Robert nods.

Aaron glares at him, “Yeah, what of it?”

Too bad it wasn’t anything more scandalous than a kiss with tongues, but Robert has the imprint of Aaron clinging onto some bloke’s elbows imprinted onto his brain like it’s been firebranded into his conscious mind.

“Nothing, just that you have a morality clause; we all do.”

It’s an outdated piece of scrap that says a board member cannot reflect poorly on the company of which they sit and being gay is a big no-no if others on the board are willing to push.

“I ain’t advertising if that’s what you mean.”

Robert puts his hands up, “’Course not, just hidden liaisons at work in the middle of the day.”

“I’m not—”

“So, he’s your boyfriend?” Robert asks, and Aaron looks down. _No, he is definitely not_.

“I can’t believe you’re shafting me over this,” Aaron shakes his head, putting his hands on his hips.

Robert pretends to look shocked, “I’m not shafting anything.”

“Well, come on then, gouge me for it,” Aaron moves to fold his arms, and Robert puts on his most innocent face.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“For those papers, you want my signature.”

Aaron isn’t stupid, for however poorly money sits on him and his cheap suit that swamps him.

“Aaron, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Good, because I won’t sign.”

Robert feels that like a hit in the gut, _he still won’t sign?_

Aaron taps to let himself out of the lift on the next floor, “Out me, I don’t care, I’ll still be gay, and the last thing I’ll do with it is stop you from getting what you want.”

 

 

Robert sits and thinks about Aaron. He thinks about his angry face when he refused to give Robert his signature while Robert had him, head and arse over a barrel.

He spins his pen and ideas of how he can get Aaron to sign. This has to be the way, there is nothing else.

 

 

He’s back at Aaron’s office late, so he doesn’t expect him to be there, but he is.

“Robert.”

It hits Robert squarely in the chest how Aaron’s tone suggests he deigns to speak to him.

“I won’t tell anyone you’re gay.”

Aaron raises his eyebrows and shifts his chair, “Big of you.”

Another backhanded slap.

“Not because it won’t do anything, it will. It’ll blow up your life,” Robert sighs and sits uninvited on the chair in front of Aaron’s desk, “I won’t tell anyone because I get it.”

That gets a reaction, Aaron swings around so that he’s facing front and Robert.

“Just consider the damn proposal, Aaron, properly. Stop giving me shit.”

Robert realised with a perfect clarity that Aaron is someone who appreciates truth, and Robert isn’t someone who has had a hand on too much of it.

“We’ll talk about it, over dinner.”

He gets up, and Aaron splutters, “No, we won’t.”

“I’ll have a car get you about 7 tomorrow.”

“Robert—!”

 

 

He’s had worse ideas, and he’s had better ones. Getting Aaron Dingle to give up the goods, so to speak, is definitely one of the worst. There’s every chance he won’t even give Robert a chance, but this is the best shot he’s got of getting what he wants.

 

 

 

*

 

7pm arrives, bringing Aaron to his flat, angry and disgruntled, and wearing horrendous black jeans and an oversized black jumper.

If Robert thought Aaron would play ball at all, he’s immediately disabused of that notion.

“Aaron—”

“Let’s get this over with,” Aaron shoves the proposal packet at him, knocking him back as he walks through to the main living area of Robert’s penthouse suite.

Floor to ceiling windows in one corner, creams and greys keeping the room warm, but neutral, he has a fluffy grey rug under the coffee table to soften the pale marble floors.

“You’re a piece of work, you know that,” Aaron spits as he turns on Robert.

Robert waves him in, even though it’s unnecessary and he heads over to his fridge to get a beer, “Want one?”

“No.”

He drops the packet on the island and pops the cap of his own to take a healthy swig, “Sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” Aaron looks like he’s about to start pacing.

“Now, you wanna tell me what it is that I’ve done that’s so horrible?” Robert walks up to Aaron.

“You, thinking this,” He gestures between them, “will buy you what you want. Are you really that desperate? Willing to fake it.”

 _Ah_.

Robert puts his beer down on one of the end tables closest to him, “Is that what you think this is?”

He puts himself in Aaron’s space, Aaron almost lurching away from him, “Think I’m – what’s the term ‘gay for pay’?”

Aaron shakes his head in disgust.

Sure, Robert wouldn’t necessarily pick Aaron, but that’s nothing to do with how he looks, or his dick. It’s everything to do with his constant need to fuck up Robert’s life.

Robert teases his fingers up Aaron’s arms, eyes flicking down to his hands and up to Aaron’s eyes to see his reaction. He isn’t against it, but he’s wary of it.

“You think I’d do anything, including shagging you, to get what I want?”

 _You’re right, but pleasure is pleasure_.

He whispers ‘want’ against Aaron’s mouth as he leans down. His mouth closes over Aaron’s and he presses hard before cupping a hand around the back of Aaron’s head so that he can’t run from it. Aaron’s hands come up to his chest but push futilely as he opens his mouth instinctively under Robert’s, his tongue hot and his desire present.

But as if a bucket of ice water comes over him, he pushes Robert off.

“A kiss doesn’t mean shit.”

Robert smiles, “A kiss is everything, but if you want me to suck your cock—”

Aaron shakes his head, discombobulated by Robert’s whole presence.

“Aaron, I’m bisexual. I like both. And finding out you were gay…” _it was like an open door_. “I—I thought there might be a possibility for us.”

“I don’t trust you,” Aaron tells him bluntly.

“Okay, but since you’re here, you could have a beer. Chill out,” Robert gestures to his settee.

“No.”

Aaron’s code of ethics and morality might be more than even Robert estimated as he tries to go past Robert, but he grabs Aaron back.

He comes a bit easier than Robert expects and they bump into each other, chests flush, eyes searching, and Robert takes the moment, Aaron’s pouting bottom lip, and he dives into it, kissing him hard and letting his fingers dig and press into Aaron’s back. Aaron sighs against his mouth, and it’s like he gives in, his mouth dragging on Robert’s, opening up and deepening the kiss of his own free will.

Robert can’t deny that he’s feeling it. Aaron slides off his tiptoes and his groin rubs against Robert’s, encouraging them both, and Robert slides one hand down over Aaron’s arse to squeeze it and knock him forward into his own crotch again.

Aaron breaks away again, licking his lips, “I’m not fucking you.”

Robert shakes his head, “You don’t have to.”

He twists Aaron’s hips to guide him over to the settee, watching him drop on it.

Aaron looks up at him, “You’re not fucking me either.”

“Still not a problem.”

Robert gets on his knees, shoving Aaron’s apart to get at his belt and zip. Maybe it’s that they’re not friends, they barely tolerate each other, and yet, Aaron is beautiful. Robert would lust after him in any fantasy if he wasn’t such a massive knob. He yanks hard on the unzipped fabric, and Aaron catches himself against Robert’s shoulder.

“You’re really gonna—”

“Yes, Aaron, I am,” Robert slips his cock out of his underwear and wraps his lips around the tip. Aaron hisses and pulls the hair at the back of Robert’s head. Not hard, but to claim some purchase on his body. Robert ignores it, sucking him down before sliding off and repeating. He hums his pleasure at doing it, how he loves this feeling, the gentle twitches of Aaron in his mouth as Robert keeps up his sucking, sliding, and then swirling his tongue over the head.

Aaron covers his face with his other forearm, his fingers spasming in Robert’s hair when Robert looks up to his face, his mouth just visible, open and panting. It spurs Robert on, his lips tighten around him, and he focuses there, Aaron groaning, his legs swaying in towards him and back out, his back starting to lift off the settee. Robert moves to stroke over the shaft where his mouth isn’t covering it, and he redoubles his efforts until Aaron cries out, and Robert lets him out of his mouth and tugs on his cock until it’s spurting onto his hand and down onto Aaron’s thigh.

Robert works him through it, the breathy sighs, the last few drops, and when he’s sure Aaron’s done, he leaves him there to go over to the sink to wash his hands.

From where he is, he can just see Aaron’s legs, slightly splayed, just the tops of his thighs exposed.

“You’re a cock,” Aaron announces from behind the settee back.

“Fuck you too,” Robert says happily, and brings an extra beer back with him, which Aaron takes.

Robert sits on the armchair next to the sofa, and Aaron lays there with his dick out and swigging on his beer.

It’s a comfortable silence of sorts. Both of them drinking, Aaron recovering, and Robert playing on his phone.

Aaron sits up and puts his jeans back on, “I still won’t sign.”

Robert looks at him, “Fine.”

He gets up and gives Aaron a kiss, tipping his head back for it, leaving him looking back at Robert confused.

“So, you just suck me off and it’s all good?”

Robert nods as he sits back down, “Yeah.”

Aaron narrows his eyes, Robert spreads his legs, “If you wanted to return the favour…”

“Is that what this is? We do each other favours?”

Robert is starting to realise that Aaron is probably the most suspicious person he’s ever met. Makes things difficult. Makes things interesting.

“There are no strings here, I just…want you,” Robert puts his beer down, cupping a hand over his not dissipating erection.

Aaron knee walks over to him, that scowl in place. Robert touches the corner of his mouth, “Less enthusiasm, _please_.”

“After this, we’re even,” Aaron warns him as he works Robert’s own trousers off his arse. He’s already swollen and leaking at the tip from making Aaron come. It gets a look from Aaron at it and then up to his face. Robert refuses to feel ashamed. He likes sex. He likes how it makes him feel.

The first touch of Aaron’s hot mouth has him trying not to thrust up, his fingers digging into the armchair and widening his stance. Aaron takes it in his stride, relaxing his throat and swallowing Robert down and coming off. Aaron teases him with his closed lips, the rough edge of his beard on the underside of Robert’s cock sending sparks into his balls before he does the same as Robert, sucking on the head, keeping everything on that bundle of nerves until Robert is borderline hyperventilating and muttering, “I’m gonna come.”

It rips through him, his thighs clenching, his toes curled, he grits his teeth as he ruins his jumper, Aaron’s fingers easing the come out of him. He lets his head drop back on the back of the armchair, and Aaron wipes his hand on Robert’s trousers.

Aaron sits himself back on Robert’s settee and drinks his beer while Robert comes down off his high.

Robert winces as he sits up, “Good talk.”

“I don’t know what your game is, but pack it in,” Aaron puts the bottle down and gets up. “This, this was just a mistake.”

“Okay,” it sounds like Robert doesn’t believe it at all, and he doesn’t. Aaron licks his lips, his face angry.

“I’m done, Robert, don’t ask me again about that proposal.”

“Come ‘round tomorrow at 8,” Robert tells him and Aaron scoffs.

“No.”

“Come ‘round and let’s do this instead.”

Aaron looks at him like he’s lost it.

“Think about it, Aaron, we’re good together.”

“So are murderers and prison.”

“Passion is passion,” Robert says, tongue-in-cheek but Aaron just huffs at him, shaking his head and leaves.

Robert sits with the warm satisfied feeling that a good orgasm brings, softly rubbing his own stomach and he reiterates to himself: _one way or another, I’ll get what I want_.

 

*

 

They have a board of directors meeting the next day, so Robert catches Aaron in the toilets, trapping him with his presence between the door and the sinks.

“This is sexual harassment,” Aaron tells him as he’s washing his hands.

“Fine, report me.”

Aaron stops and stares at him, “That’s it? ‘Report me’?”

Robert steps out of the way, Aaron free and clear to leave, but doesn’t move, “That’s why.”

“You’re intrigued, despite your better judgement, and I,” Robert moves back into Aaron’s space, “am happy to oblige you.”

There is a mini-war that crosses Aaron’s face, but he pushes himself away and to go around Robert.

“We should talk, after the meeting, at mine like I said,” Robert says as they’re walking out of the toilets.

“Let’s not.”

Robert gets up close to Aaron’s back, whispering in his ear from behind, “Please.”

Aaron takes in a deep breath, and Robert knows he has him.

 

 

 

Robert feels entirely too grateful for Aaron in a suit. This one is new, fits the lines of his body cleanly as he walks past Robert into his flat with that same attitude of ‘I don’t give a fuck’.

He gets knocked back against his front door, the weight of his body closing it, his head almost banging it if Aaron didn’t have his palm protecting it. Robert looks to see how Aaron’s arms strain his suit, his body heating up at the very thought of it.

“I don’t trust you.”

Robert tilts his head, “You said.”

Aaron’s eyes look down at his mouth, Robert leans forward to kiss him, but Aaron pulls back,

“C’mon.” Robert holds Aaron’s suit jacket in his hands, tugging on it gently to try and get Aaron to come closer.

“No sex,” Aaron says firmly, Robert raising his eyebrows, and he corrects: “You don’t get in me, I don’t get in you. No fucking about.”

“Just everything in between?” Robert feels antsy, like something is crawling under his skin and it’s wanting, wanting like he’s never felt it before.

“I’m serious.”

If that’s what Aaron wants, fine, Robert just wants rid of his clothes, “Great.”

“Robert.”

“Write me a contract if you’re that worried about it,” he smiles and tucks his face into Aaron’s neck, kissing the softer skin where his beard fades out on his throat. Aaron stumbles where his resistance cracks and his arm goes around Robert’s shoulder and his fingers lace into his hair.

Robert traces his path, his hand pulling at Aaron’s tie to get it off, Aaron’s hands pushing at his blazer to drag it down, the both of them forced to part to get the more intricate parts of their clothes off and removed.

Aaron looks dishevelled with his shirt open, tie halfway undone against his chest when Robert walks him back to his bedroom, a door off the living room, Robert still pulling at his trousers as they go.

“No shagging shagging, anything else?” Robert asks as he pushes Aaron onto his bed.

Aaron shakes his head, “No.”

“Why then? Why the rule at all?” Robert sucks the skin of Aaron’s pectoral, raising it up purple and bruised.

“Keeps it from being serious. We mess about, we come, then we’re done,” Aaron seems convinced of it, Robert doesn’t much care.

He gets a knee either side of Aaron’s thighs before sitting on his lap, “But I can suck you off?” A kiss on one side of his throat, “Rim your arse?” A kiss on the other.

Aaron breathes ‘shit’ under his breath, his fingers digging into Robert’s bum and welcoming him to ride him.

“Or can I just rub one off with our trousers still on like teenagers?” Robert pulls Aaron’s head back by his hair, kiss off centre and more tongue than anything else.

Aaron’s hands push his hips down, encouraging him to buck and roll, so Robert does. He grips Aaron’s waist and uses the leverage to rock back and forth. He sighs and groans against Aaron’s mouth as he pops the button on Robert’s trousers so that his cock is just peeking off the top of his pants, Aaron’s thumb rubbing at it and pulling more sensations out of him. He exhales hard, his hips less fluid, chasing more Aaron’s touch than anything else.

He gets a tap on his arse, the non-verbal: _keep going_ , clear.

Robert shifts back, finally working Aaron’s trousers open and he gets a mirroring hand on his cock and they stroke each other while breathing against each other’s mouth.

“You first,” Robert offers like a good host; Aaron smiles, a touch smug.

“You’re already halfway there, mate.”

For good measure, Aaron spits on his palm and wraps his hand around Robert’s dick and thumbs the head only on the upstroke.

He also isn’t wrong. Robert rocks into it, Aaron holding the small of his back to urge him, and he feels it coil in his belly, his moans coming out more consistently as Aaron silences him with a kiss. He also swallows the sounds of Robert coming, his body seizing before relaxing and spilling over Aaron’s hand and wrist.

Robert rests his head on Aaron’s shoulder, his hand stilling before he kisses his cheek, wiping his hand over his tongue, spitting on it and putting it back in Aaron’s pants. It is like two randy lads getting off in one of their bedrooms like they’re teenagers, but it’s what Aaron wants. Uncomplicated, simple fucking. Robert can do that. It works perfectly for him.

“C’mon, Aaron, I know you want to, ‘s why you came here. Dick half hard, you wanted to come,” Robert spouts filth into Aaron’s ear, breathing wetly into it as he strokes Aaron’s hot flesh in his palm, and Aaron whimpers and curls his hips. “There, that’s it, just a bit—”

Aaron grabs Robert’s bicep when he comes, pinching it tight as he makes a mess of his trousers. He flops onto his back and takes a minute, Robert climbs off his lap and lies alongside him.

“See, we’re good together,” Robert tells him as he looks over at Aaron, just catching his blue eyes open.

“Make me come, Robert, but don’t talk to me like we’re mates.”

Robert smiles, _s’all I need_.

 

 

*

 

He’s still surprised when an actual contract falls on his desk marked, **private: your eyes only**.

Rule 1. No penetrative intercourse.

_As agreed_.

Rule 2. No sleeping at each other’s places; (a) intentionally or (b) unintentionally.

_Understandable_ , Robert thinks, _best not blur the lines_.

Rule 3. No dates/attempts at dates/consumption of food together.

Robert picks up his phone to text Aaron, getting his number before he left the night before, **I get 3, but ur still a wanky tosser**.

The intent here is clear, to fuck and to get gone, but how Robert is supposed to build his case on that remains to be seen. Getting his foot in the door was hard enough without trying to push Aaron’s rules even now.

Still, it’s going to have to wait, he’s got work to do and he can’t spend it thinking about ways to get further into Aaron Dingle’s trousers.

 

 

*

 

There is a long gap of three days between when they say they’re going to meet and when they do. Robert catches Aaron in the underground parking of his office building, leaning back in his Porsche’s driver seat, Aaron eyeing him suspiciously.

Robert waves him in, “You cancelled.”

Aaron opens the door, but doesn’t get in, “Been busy.”

“Get in anyway,” Robert lets his voice drop, his tongue slipping out to wet his bottom lip of its own accord. It does the trick, Aaron puts his bag down in the footwell and gets in.

“Interest you in a car seat blowjob?” Robert asks, amusement in his voice.

Aaron glares at him.

“As bad as that,” Robert muses as if to himself, “Well, we’ll see about that.”

 

 

 

He puts Aaron across his dining table, belly down, legs spread so that Robert can kneel behind him, pulling on his cock while he licks and teases his arse.

Backing off, he slaps Aaron’s bum and gets him to look back, “Hold your arse, will you?”

In a way, it’s better like this. Robert doesn’t have to pussyfoot around, if he wants Aaron to spread his arse cheeks then he tells him to spread his arse cheeks. His fingers are covered in lube and they squelch while he rubs Aaron’s cock. Aaron’s face goes down to one side on the table as he loses his arms to hold himself up on. Exposed and pink, Robert flicks his tongue at the soft skin, waiting on Aaron’s bitten out cries like he’s trying to deny them at all. It pushes Robert forward, longer pulls of his hand and stronger pushes of his tongue.

Aaron kneads at his own arse, turning so that his forehead is resting on the table as he whines in the back of his throat, the stream of pre-come pushing steadily out the tip of his cock. Robert doesn’t know if fingers or tongue count as penetration, so he doesn’t. He ducks down and sucks the tip of Aaron’s cock until his thighs shake and he comes on Robert’s floor between his knees.

Robert leaves Aaron as he is, pushing up his shirt and wanking his cock with his already lubed up hand, dragging it over the soft skin of Aaron’s back, smearing it with his own leaking fluid. Aaron reaches back for him, pulls him in by his arse until his balls are resting on his arse as Robert keeps stroking himself.

When he looks, Aaron is looking back at him, his mouth chewed red, his eyes glistening, and Robert bites his own lip, pushing his hand down on Aaron’s shoulder as he feels the edge rush up to meet him and cover Aaron’s back as he chokes on his own moans. Robert’s unstable, his body completely spent, so he just plasters himself to Aaron’s back, probably gluing them together with his come.

“Guaranteed to make any shit day better,” he laughs, and Aaron snorts under him. He pushes up again, his legs feeling sturdy, another good loud slap on Aaron’s arse, “Take a shower if you want.”

He does. Robert is still sitting on his settee, naked arse on it and looking at documents on his work tablet.

There’s an awkward sort of moment where Robert looks up at him, and Aaron clearly wants to leave, but doesn’t want to be a complete dick about it.

Robert gets up, walks over to him, pulling him in by his shirt and gives him a kiss. Long, slow, and deeply exploring that mouth he’s learning to love.

“Don’t cancel on me, Aaron, I don’t like it.”

And weirdly enough, it’s true.

Robert sends him on his merry way and tallies up in his mind how much sex they’re having versus the progress they’re making. Aaron’s satisfaction level is amazing, 100% success rate, his agreeability, less so.

Time to work around the rules.

 

 

*

 

Robert brings Aaron lunch on a meeting day. In practice, he brings it for Aaron’s whole floor so that he doesn’t suspect it’s for him.

“Hiya,” he says politely as Aaron watches from his office doorway, “Figured a bit of morale for your team wouldn’t go amiss.”

Aaron nods and jerks his head towards his office, meaning for Robert to follow him in.

“What’s all that?” Aaron questions him.

Robert frowns, “Like I said, morale. I do it with my staff most weeks. High productivity on those days. Relaxed people work better, who knew.”

Aaron seems to accept that answer, but he doesn’t partake in the food outside. He has coffee from the cheap little café on the corner that Robert hates and the panini he’s got is probably from there. He’s a poor man running a multimillion-pound business, and it shows.

“You like Bob’s café then?”

Aaron takes off the lid of his coffee, “Yeah.”

“My sister is a chef for a little pub, she does a great lasagne,” Robert says before he realises he’s said it. He sees Aaron contemplating him, and he tries to cover his tracks, “Not your sort of thing though.”

He digs around in his briefcase for his documents, “I, uh, signed your contract. You didn’t stipulate any penalties for invalidating the terms when you drew up the contract.”

Aaron puts his coffee down, looks back up at him, “Termination.”

Robert feels a bit blindsided, “What?”

“You can’t keep to the contract, _I_ can’t keep to the contract, we end it.”

“You can’t be—”

Aaron turns on his spinny chair again, “Look, Robert, both of us have things at stake, things we want, and breaking the rules breaks our morality clauses. We break the contract, we break the clause; easiest to cut the first one loose before it has a chance to fuck up the second.”

If it didn’t invalidate Robert’s plans, listening to Aaron be so firm about business would probably give him a hard on.

“Good to hear you so clear on it,” Robert smiles, lying through his teeth.

“You too,” And Aaron goes back to drinking his coffee like he hadn’t said anything at all.

 

 

 

Robert ends up banging his head on his desk, hoping that the answer will come to him. His stomach is growling so he picks up his sandwich, one of the fancy ones that Vic makes on artisan bread. And that’s when it comes to him.

He digs out his phone, calling Victoria on her lunch hour, “Hey, Vic, can you make me a lasagne for tomorrow?”

“Great! What? No, I just fancy it, yes, I can pay for it,” He laughs, her trying to wind him up and failing before she gives him a time to pick it up. He’ll send his assistant to get it for him and put it in his flat.

Plan B is in action.

 

 

*

 

The table is set, for one, of course. He can’t just spring food on Aaron or he’ll smell a trap. Plus, it’s past seven and he’s starving, so he tucks into his plate. He keeps checking his phone and nothing from Aaron.

_I told him not to cancel._

_He better not—_

There’s a knock at the door.

Aaron is on the other side of it looking harangued, Robert frowns and lets him in, “What happened to you?”

“Nothing,” Aaron pushes at his chest and kisses him before Robert pulls away.

“Sorry, I’m just eating. I’ll get you a plate.”

“Robert—” Aaron’s tone is warning.

“It’s Vic’s special lasagne, not some cheap thoroughfare,” Robert points him to the dining table he knows quite intimately. “Just eat a bite to say you’ve tried it. She likes to hear people’s opinions on her food.”

Aaron clearly doesn’t think he should, but he looks so tired and in need of a good meal, so he nods and sits on the opposite side of the table from Robert.

As if alerted to the smell of food, Aaron's stomach growls loudly.

“It doesn’t count,” Robert decides to just go there, “You’re starving like me, and Vic’s food is exempt from all contract related dealings.”

Aaron smiles, small, but true. He cuts the lasagne with his fork and pops the piece into his mouth. Robert gave him the good chewy burnt bit. Robert carries on with his own meal, and the lack of attention on it means Aaron eats the whole thing and sits back, hand rubbing his stomach.

He says nothing when Robert clears away the plates.

Robert offers him his hand, _come and get what you’re actually here for then_.

Rough fingers grasp his, and Robert looks down at Aaron’s face for a split second before he kisses him. They walk hand in hand to Robert’s room and close the door.

 

 

*

 

After pulling that stunt, Robert knows to ease back. Aaron came and pretty much threw his clothes on to get out the door. He’s like an easily spooked cat or something. He needs a gentle hand to feel comfortable.

They meet a couple more times that week, and each time, Robert is left panting and wrung dry. It’s some of the best sex he’s ever had. He’s definitely working his arse off to get it.

They have another boring shared board meeting, but now, Robert spends his time staring at Aaron. He writes things down on his notepad and then he goes back to openly staring at him. No one questions it, they assume he’s trying to intimidate him or something, but Robert is just taking in his features. The soft curve of his jaw, the straight slope of his nose, his strong brow, even the way his dark hair curls thickly. There is so much about Aaron that is attractive.

His phone buzzes: **stop staring**.

Aaron must have his under the table.

**Why? I like your face.**

**Like it less.**

**I want to come on it.**

Aaron looks at him sharply. It was mostly a joke, only now it’s out there, Robert can’t stop thinking about it.

 

 

 

After the meeting, Aaron shoves Robert into the toilets, “What was that?”

“D’you want to?” Robert is pushing Aaron into one of the stalls. Obviously now is not the time, but fuck him if he isn’t going to take his fill of kisses.

Aaron gets out from under Robert’s grip and knocks him back against the stall door. Robert just rests on it, semi-hard just thinking about staining Aaron’s face.

“Is that what you want?” Aaron asks him in his throaty sex voice that happens maybe every three times they fuck. Robert likes that it’s something he has to tease out of Aaron. Something that he gives because he’s unable to stop himself to the contrary.

“Yes,” Robert hisses as Aaron touches him through his trousers.

He comes into Robert’s space for that kiss, his hand still moving, so Robert traps him with arms around his shoulders, his tongue disappearing inside Aaron’s mouth.

Aaron’s hand speeds up, pulling the sounds out of Robert’s mouth pressed up against his until Robert’s not kissing him, but groaning into his shoulder, his own pants being roughly rubbed against him. He doesn’t dare look, he’s probably dampening his trousers at the tip.

He whispers, ‘oh fuck’, his mouth wiping against Aaron’s suit jacket. Aaron holds him with a strong hand on the back of his neck, the hand on his cock effectively jerking Robert off.

“Oh fuck,” He says louder, and pulls Aaron in until they’re almost flush, Aaron’s hand coming off his neck to smother his mouth as he comes, Aaron’s other hand moving faster to strip the come out of him.

His body feels boneless like it doesn’t want to hold him up, so Robert slumps over Aaron’s shoulders, letting him carry Robert’s weight.

Robert kisses Aaron’s jaw on that spot he was staring at during the meeting.

“I’ll see you later,” Aaron says quietly when Robert is able to compose himself.

He hums, and Aaron lets himself out.

Sitting on the toilet seat, this was not what Robert had envisioned at all, but it doesn’t stop him.

 

 

*

 

They’ve been in their arrangement for nearly two months when Robert finally gets to see where Aaron lives. It’s a modern house-flat conversion with hardwood floors and exposed features. Rough, but clean, like Aaron.

It’s a shame because Robert doesn’t have time to appreciate it. Aaron texted him before work and asked him to come over.

 _I’d seriously get my head checked if I were actually at a bloke’s place at 6am for a booty call_. He’s got his suit in his car, still dressed in his acceptable to be seen in loungewear when Aaron invited him in.

“Just couldn’t wait, huh?” Robert gently mocks as Aaron stands in front of him.

“Shut up.”

“No, really, what has the Great Aaron Dingle up before the birds?” Robert lets himself be pushed down onto the settee. It’s squidgy but with a firm base. Deep blue.

“I have to go away,” Aaron purses his lips like he loathes to tell Robert that. _Oh_ , and Robert sees it. Aaron has to travel, and before he does, he wants a piece of this.

That _is_ something worth waking up for.

Robert pushes Aaron’s pyjama top up and kisses his belly, ignoring everything else and letting his mouth trail down and Aaron’s sighs guide him to exactly what he wants.

 

 

 

“Satisfied?” Robert asks Aaron tucks himself back into his pants.

“Be more smug, yeah?”

“Good sex is always something to be smug about, Aaron.”

Aaron glares at him, and Robert just ignores him, stretching out his toes and taking in the crispness of Aaron’s sheets.

“That’s all anything is with you, another notch on your post.”

Robert narrows his eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Aaron folds his arms, “Anything to say you’ve checked that box.”

“I do well in business because I’m thorough, I do well in your bed because I’m here how you want me to be,” He scoops up his expensive jogging bottoms that still look like they could be Adidas or Nike if it weren’t for how soft they are, and shoves them on. “Take a look in the mirror before you start throwing that one around.”

 

 

 

Robert doesn’t give Aaron a kiss goodbye like he normally would. He storms out and sits in his car and takes stock. Everything he just did was instinct. Aaron took a shot at him, and it landed, so Robert volleyed back. Only it was like…like a lover would. It works in his favour, but it sets Robert on edge.

 _It’s good Aaron has a trip away._ Good. _It gives me space, time, to regroup_. He has his proposal packet in his car because it just lives there, going with Robert wherever he goes in case he gets the opportunity to get it signed. He takes it out and looks at it. It would be his crowning jewel. It would definitely give him more respect than Aaron.

 _Head back on it, Robert_. He notes that it’s like Aaron says, he’s got notches to make and deals to close. It’s what he’s good at.

 

 

*

 

A week later, Aaron comes to his flat, apologetic, hat in hand. Or his equivalent, which is to be slightly less cutting with his looks.

Robert opens his door, “You look like shit.”

Jetlag has done a number on Aaron’s handsome face, worn him down, made him look sallow, but Robert still finds him attractive.

He heads back into his kitchen and puts two beers on the table even though it’s still middle of the day and Robert is working from home. He doesn’t know what time zone Aaron is on, but he looks like he needs it.

Aaron follows him, stands behind him next to his massive American style fridge, gentle fingers on Robert’s hips, “I don’t want beer.”

Robert feels the cold of the metal on his back as Aaron kisses him, but as soon as he gets into it, Aaron slips down to his knees.

“We never got around to…” Aaron says as he pulls at Robert’s comfy trousers, different ones this time.

“So, this is your way of saying you’re sorry? Letting me come on your face?” Robert is going to make Aaron squirm for every inch of it.

But he doesn’t, he takes Robert in hand and jacks him slowly, “Yeah.”

Robert raises his eyebrows, “Could be worse.”

Aaron smiles, and it settles an unspoken part of Robert’s chest and makes him smile too.

 

Robert plants his feet and lets Aaron make him feel good, his head tipped back, throat letting out rough moans as Aaron works him hard and then works him to come.

 

Aaron looks fucking hot with Robert’s come on his lips, cheek and nose, Robert also thinks there’s a bit in his hair.

He pants and pulls on Aaron’s fringe, “All is forgiven.”

 

 

 

Robert gets Aaron a flannel to clean himself up with, and Robert goes to put it in the wash and does a couple of things including getting more clean towels out and having a piss, but when he comes back, Aaron is snoring lightly on his settee.

It breaks the rules. Aaron broke the rules. But he looked so tired when he came over, like he had come straight here from the airport.

_Is that better or worse?_

Robert wrestles with himself because this is a prime opportunity, but it could end it all.

He looks at the clock, it’s barely 1 o’clock. He’ll let Aaron sleep until 2 before he ‘spills’ something and wakes him up. He’ll never admit that it’s Aaron’s restful, young and sleep-slack face that makes his decision for him.

 

 

*

 

Vic makes a really great steak pie when he sees her a couple of days later, so Robert steals some it from their monthly dinners and, with a pit opening up in his stomach, he takes it with him to Aaron’s office.

He’s making his way through the desks when his receptionist, Louise, stops him again. Robert frowns at her, but the door opens, and Aaron’s ‘friend’ walks out. He doesn’t see Robert, but Robert sees him.

He refuses to just leave the pie. He closes his eyes and takes a breath before Louise sends him in.

 

“Hey,” Aaron is looking up at him from his desk, shuffling papers and frowning, “What’s that?”

“Vic made pie, you have to try it.”

“What kind?” Aaron looks at it with interest, his hand reaching out for the container.

“Steak, with thick gravy,” Robert smiles, it really is good. “See ya then.”

Aaron looks at with confusion, “Robert—”

 

 

He gets into the lift before he lets himself breathe, Aaron thankfully not with him this time.

The truth hits him in the face that he’s no closer to his plans. Aaron is still seeing someone else, his attention divided and not on Robert. 

He puts his palms on the metal wall.

 _Fuck him and fuck that bloke_. It’s ruining everything.

When Robert gets a text: **meet l8r?**

He answers it, **yes**.

 

 

 

Aaron pushes the Tupperware box towards him with two fingers as he walks past it on the kitchen table after letting Robert in to his flat.

“You were right, it was good.”

Robert isn’t interested in that, he pulls Aaron into his arms, hands rough on his back as he drags him up for a kiss. Aaron gives in, no hesitation, and Robert pushes, knocks Aaron against the table and then walks them back until he hits the back of the settee. He pushes and bites and drags his mouth against Aaron’s, slaking himself on heavy kisses as he tries to figure out what he wants to do.

“Bedroom,” he commands, and Aaron licks his lips and nods.

 

He puts Aaron on his belly, thighs spread, arse up and he licks at his rim. With a bit of clarification, _no, tongues and fingers don’t invalidate their contract_ , but then he did ask when he had Aaron arse up, holding behind his own knees, Robert’s mouth just hovering over him. Robert uses all of it on him, blindly reaching for the lube in the drawer, biting Aaron’s cheek when he comes back, refusing to let him rock his hips on the bed when he tries. He probes and presses with a slick finger, Aaron dragging his hands on the bed, clutching at his duvet as he sighs.

Robert wants to fuck him. He won’t, but he wants to push inside that tight heat and own a piece of Aaron. He hates to acknowledge that. That he feels powerless when everything he does is for his power. To have ownership of his business, his life, his personal life. Aaron is defying all of it, all of the time.

He lines himself along Aaron’s back, and Aaron stills, Robert assures him, “I’m not—"

He presses his hips down and holds himself between Aaron’s cheeks, sliding between them. It’s a pale imitation, but Robert can’t help himself, he holds himself over Aaron and keeps pushing. Thick fingers hold his thigh, and Robert can almost taste what it would really be like.

It’s not—

Robert rolls off and gets Aaron on his side, picking up the lube and slicking himself up.

Aaron tries to look back, but Robert has his forehead on Aaron’s shoulders as he looks down, “What are you—?”

He hooks his leg over Aaron’s, trapping his legs together, his hand wrapping around Aaron’s still straining cock, rubbing it with sure fingers as he pushes his own lubed cock between Aaron’s thighs. It slides up behind his balls with every thrust, so Robert strokes his hand in time with them. Aaron’s hand weakly hovers over his before he helps to strengthen Robert’s grip on him.

With his nose in the hollow of Aaron’s throat, Robert rocks them with his hips. Slowly, Aaron starts to push against him, his thighs clenching, and it’s perfect. Robert speeds up his hand, and together they work to bring each other to their climaxes. Aaron trips over first, head bowed down towards his chest as he shudders, and Robert paints the insides of his thighs not long after.

Still sticky and wrapped up together, Robert admits his truth, “Don’t see anyone else.”

Aaron lifts his head, a surprised look on his face, “’m not.”

“Good,” Robert doesn’t know if he believes it, but he lets himself.

 

 

*

 

Things bobble along.

Robert comes by Aaron’s office a few times, and he doesn’t see that bloke again, so maybe Aaron was telling the truth.

He walks in while Aaron is on the phone shouting the odds about service contracts. He walks around to Aaron’s side of the desk, ignoring him shooing Robert away as Robert picks up the contract in front of him. He reads it summarily, dropping it back on the desk. He taps his finger on a subsection clause and Aaron looks at it. It’s what he needs to get what he needs.

Robert kisses the side of his head and goes back to the opposite side of the desk. Aaron gives him a look but uses it anyway, finishing the call much happier and things sorted.

“I didn’t need your help.”

Robert doesn’t look up from his phone, “’Course you didn’t.”

“Why are you here anyway?”

“I was near the building, thought I’d snag you for a ride,” Robert pokes his tongue in his cheek.

“No you weren’t,” Aaron sighs and picks up his papers. “I can’t, I’ve got all this.”

“What is it?” Robert leans over, taking some of the papers from Aaron.

“Oi.”

Leaseholds, property valuations, Aaron is looking to expand, but the land he wants to purchase is on a time crunch.

“Can’t you delegate?” Robert asks, and Aaron shakes his head.

“It ain’t even half of it, people keep skirting ‘round me with stuff so now it’s piled up like this.”

Robert frowns, “Bring it to mine, we’ll sort it.”

Aaron looks at him, cautiously.

“It’s not in the contract that we can’t do business together, Aaron, I’m good at this, use me.”

“Robert—”

“I’m the best consultant you’ll ever get, and you can pay me with sexual favours rather than money.”

He puts on his best smile, and Aaron relents.

“You will have to break a rule if this lasts longer than three hours because even I have to eat,” Robert tells him as he stands up, straightening his suit jacket.

Aaron bites the corner of his lip into his mouth, “Alright.”

“Good, see you later.”

Robert catches himself before he goes to give Aaron his usual kiss goodbye. Except they haven’t had sex. He notices that Aaron has intuitively leaned up for it.

It’s a split-second decision, but he keeps going and gives him that kiss.

 

 

 

It doesn’t take very long for Robert to get very angry at Aaron’s team. They’ve been parsing shit around, not getting it done because they think Aaron can’t do it, but sitting here watching him, he can and then some.

“You’re really good at this,” Robert compliments him over the dining table-come-office space as Robert’s office is too small for the both of them.

“I didn’t go to a fancy school, but I’m not stupid,” Aaron mutters as he’s looking for a second page to a document.

Robert nods and picks up his coffee cup to get a fresh one, “Makes sense your family would put you on the board.”

“Even though you fight me on everything?” Aaron looks up and nods when Robert shakes his cup.

“You’re the one constantly cockblocking me.”

“Because you’re being stupid.”

Robert turns back from the kitchen counter, “ _Really_?”

Aaron leans back in his seat, “Take your proposal, it’s pointless. You only want the land to build a shitty building on it.”

Robert clucks his tongue in his mouth, Aaron carries on, “Just build it somewhere else.”

“It’s a prime location.”

“It’s my family’s.”

Business and family, two things that should never go together.

“It’s right on top of the place where _my_ family have lived for over 45 years,” Robert can’t stop it before it comes out. He turns back to his coffee cup, head down as he digs out a menu from a drawer.

“Chinese okay?”

“Robert.”

“It’s fucking noodles, Aaron, not a marriage proposal.”

The chair he’s sitting on scrapes as Aaron gets up and hovers behind him.

“I’m thinking chow mein,” Robert mutters to himself. “And those ball things, no sauce, or maybe fish and chips.”

“Robert.”

Robert lifts his head, “What?”

Aaron slips his hands into Robert’s hair to help turn his head towards him, his lips just catching Robert’s before pressing more fully against them. Robert sighs, letting his tension out, and just letting the kiss wash over him, Aaron gently easing his mouth over his, tongue softly tracing the seam of his lips. Robert turns completely into him, hands sliding up Aaron’s arms to his shoulders and then to cup his face.

As quietly as it began, it ends, Aaron kissing him one last time before biting his own lip into his mouth, “Chow mein’s fine.”

“Okay,” Robert replies, it’s all he can get out without his voice cracking or something equally embarrassing.

He goes into the living room area and orders the food, probably too much for two people before he finishes making the coffee and he and Aaron sit back down to work.

 

 

 

They eat on the settee to save the paperwork from grease. Aaron crosses his legs at the ankles, feet hiked up on Robert’s coffee table. His socks have little dragons on them.

Robert crunches on a prawn cracker and takes a drink of his beer, “And then what happened?”

“What’d’ya think? We fell in,” Aaron laughs. He’s regaling Robert with tales from a misspent youth with his best friend, Adam. “I wouldn’t want to be seventeen again.”

Robert sighs, “I know what you mean.”

“What? No good?” Aaron says as he stuffs his mouth with noodles.

Robert laughs at him, “Complicated. ‘s fine now, I just wouldn’t want to do it again.”

It’s not news to anyone that Robert had a tough time with his father and his wishes. Before Robert, there was always a legal representative for the Sugdens on the board, Jack preferring to keep to the land rather than the ‘law’.

“You did alright,” Aaron assures him with a smile.

Robert rolls his eyes, “Fair; you came out relatively unscathed.”

“Relatively,” Aaron gets up and gets himself another beer.

“To better futures?” Robert offers his bottle neck to Aaron who clinks his against it.

“Better futures.”

 

 

 

Somewhere between chow mein and beer, they don’t get back to work, Robert yawns and settles into his settee, wrapping the blanket he keeps over the back around himself. He doesn’t quite know when he dozes off, but he does, and he wakes up in the night with a dry mouth and he’s slipped from being upright to laying across Aaron’s chest and side while pressed up against the back of the settee.

Aaron is asleep too, hand high up on his chest, leg hanging of the sofa, so Robert just cuddles himself back down, too tired, too sleepy and too comfortable to give this up. It’s nice. He likes it.

 

Aaron is gone when he wakes up. Robert checks his phone: nothing. It gives him a panicked feeling in his chest because he knows Aaron is thinking about that stupid contract. Robert feels like such an idiot for suggesting it. Suggesting they eat or even drink together.

He tries ringing him, leaving a message, “Hi, Aaron, ring me.”

 

 

*

 

Aaron manages to disappear out of Robert’s life for five days just because Robert doesn’t have the time to go looking for him. His business is in flux over the proposed deal he’s still no closer to closing and the deadline is rushing up to meet him.

He finds Aaron in the underground parking again.

“Heya,” he says getting out of his car.

Aaron scuffs his shoes on the floor, “Hi.”

“Wow, you were really just gonna ghost me, huh?”

Aaron looks up at him sharply, and Robert laughs, but it’s empty, “Or was I going to get a text; _contract cancelled_?”

“You dick,” Robert bites his lip and tips his face up.

“Robert—”

Robert shuts him up with a kiss, a desperate clash of mouths as Robert tries to leave some indelible imprint of himself on Aaron.

“It’s not about sex, it was never about fucking sex,” Robert bites at Aaron’s mouth and lets him go.

“You’re a liar,” Aaron squares up, and Robert nods. “You’ve wanted one thing from me since day one, and you stayed as long as I didn’t give it to you. So _yeah_ , it was never about _fucking sex_.”

“I’m a liar, you’re a coward, looks like we’re done here then,” Robert shrugs, not denying his part in all this. “Mutual termination, terms no longer beneficiary to either party.”

Aaron looks like he’s welling up, but it might be a trick of the light, Robert doesn’t know. He pushes, “Agreed?”

Aaron lifts his chin, “Agreed.”

He gets back into his car, hollowed out and empty, and he cries.

It twists him up inside because he doesn’t understand it. He feels like he’s lost something that he never had, and he can’t stem the flow of his own emotions. It’s his own fault. It’s his own fucking fault, but it’s not. It’s Aaron’s too.

He slams his palm down on the steering wheel and hates everything.

 

 

 

Robert stares at the ceiling of his office, throwing up a stress ball and letting it slap back down into his palm.

“Mr Sugden?” One of his employees from Acquisitions is poking his head through the door.

“What?”

“The deadline—”

“Out!” Robert has had enough of that stupid proposal to last a lifetime.

 

 

*

 

Days blur with nights, Robert just focusing on his work until he heads in one morning to gossipy whispers out on the floor of the office.

He frowns and heads into his office.

 _Aaron_.

“What are you doing here?” Robert puts his briefcase down on his armchair.

“Heard you let the dead—”

“I did, now you can go.”

Robert opens the door and gestures for Aaron to go out of it.

“Robert.”

He huffs and closes the door, “What, Aaron? Our business is done, we made sure of that.”

“Will you just—” Aaron grabs hold of his waist, and Robert fights to wriggle away, but Aaron won’t let him.

Aaron ends up catching one of his wrists in his hand, and Robert pushes Aaron away to drag him in by his grip on Robert, his own arm going around Aaron’s back. Robert breathes deeply before he kisses him, Aaron moaning under him with the sheer force of it.

Robert pulls away, “You want to negotiate a new contract, see my assistant.”

He lets Aaron go, who drops Robert like he’s on fire.

He heads around to sit on his chair and open his laptop up, Aaron doesn’t move until he turns to Robert’s desk.

“Sorry for wasting your time.”

Robert closes his eyes as Aaron shuts his office door.

 

 

*

 

A gap opens up in Robert’s life where Aaron was, but as much as he would like to pretend that it’s a permanent thing, it’s not.

They have a board meeting.

Jimmy looks at the agenda and then back at Robert, “You’re removing your proposal?”

Robert can feel Aaron’s eyes on him, it’s prior to the meeting starting and everyone is milling about until it kicks off properly.

“Yeah.”

“But, you put so much work into it for—”

“It didn’t work out, I’m over it,” Robert leaves Jimmy standing there, and he heads over to the coffee caddy.

Jimmy looks over at Aaron, and Robert wills him to keep his mouth shut.

Coffee made, Robert closes his eyes and takes his seat, trying to let the white noise wash over him while it can. He opens his eyes when a foot kicks him.

“Sorry,” Aaron mumbles as he sits down, not really looking at Robert.

Robert drinks some of his coffee, “A lot of that.”

Aaron’s eyes flick up to his.

He opens up his notepad and unclips his pen, he doesn’t take his eyes off it the whole time after that.

 

 

Aaron corners him in the toilets post-meeting.

“What was that?” He demands.

Robert washes his hands and gets out a couple of paper towels from the dispenser, “What was what?”

“Cut the shit.”

Robert always liked that about Aaron, his direct nature, but it’s getting his hackles up, “I’m—”

Someone comes into the toilet and unzips for a piss, they both stand and wait, living through the awkward moment of this bloke zipping up, washing his hands and then leaving.

It gives Robert the time to calm down. He sighs, “I’m sorry.”

Aaron looks surprised, “You what?”

“I’m sorry for what I said to you, in my office, that was uncalled for, I didn’t mean it.”

“Oh,” Aaron shifts on his feet, “Ta.”

“You were right,” Robert clenches his jaw, “But it’s not—it’s not as simple as you think.”

“Being a twat isn’t?” Aaron’s tone is joking, and Robert smiles.

“No, not when I wanted you,” Robert tells him honestly. He’s just tired. He’s tired of feeling hurt, feeling like he misses Aaron more than he can ever actually say.

Aaron searches his face.

“Come to mine,” Aaron asks him, “Come ‘round later.”

“Aaron—”

“We need to talk, but not in the men’s bogs, alright?” Aaron bites his lip and shakes his head, “Just…come ‘round.”

Robert sees how much it’s taken to get Aaron to come out and say that. To push past how frankly dickish Robert was when they last saw each other, pushing his pain out and onto Aaron.

Maybe he’s giving in too easily, but he’s not exactly blameless in all this. He owes Aaron, and himself, this much.

“Alright, see you later.”

 

 

*

 

Robert takes beer with him that he thrusts at Aaron when he opens his front door like a barrier between them.

“I ordered the same again,” Aaron tells him as he looks back over his shoulder as he goes to put the beer in the fridge. It’s truth enough that they don’t really know each other that well.

 _We could_.

“Thanks,” Robert bobs his head and sits down on the settee.

It’s horrifically awkward, even with a beer.

Robert just downs his and gets up to put in the bin when he’s done.

“Look, we both made a hash of this.”

He turns around to Aaron peeling the label off his beer, “Understatement but go on.”

Aaron glares at him, but it’s not backed by any real anger, “Robert—”

The door goes, and Robert leans against the kitchen counter as Aaron tips the driver and puts the bag on the table.

They both go back to avoiding the elephant-sized pile of issues they have going on to enjoy their food. The place Aaron ordered from is different. It’s not bad different, the chow mein is greasier, but the chicken balls are smaller with none of that doughy extra. Robert keeps his focus on that rather than on Aaron who is staring at him out the corner of his eye.

There is none of that ease when they were at Robert’s, just trading back and forth with silly stories, curled up on Robert’s settee and laughing at each other. Maybe it was wrong to even try. Robert pushed and pushed because he did want something out of this. And maybe that blinded him to the clear and obvious differences between them. Maybe they just don’t work.

As if Aaron can sense the dissonance inside him, he grips his forearm to trap him before he gently kisses Robert’s mouth.

“Aaron—”

Nothing feels fixed. It feels like Robert could fall into bed with Aaron and be no clearer about where he stands.

“The building from my proposal,” Robert licks his lips as he stands, “It wasn’t on the plans I gave you, but it’s a library. For my mum.”

 _That’s why I wanted it, why I chased you, but you’re why I let it go_.

Aaron leans back, shaken by Robert’s revelation.

“I planned to open the Sarah Sugden Foundation in the same building, a small charity that would support things she loved.”

Robert picks up his jacket off the back of Aaron’s coatrack, “I didn’t want anyone’s pity. I just wanted to make her proud. Not that she would be proud of what I did to you, using you like that.”

Aaron swallows, and everything flows out of Robert like a river.

“Part of me knew I’d never really have you, I suppose, so I didn’t think about it. How easy it would be to…care about you. But I do. Care about you, Aaron, and I’m not interested in what we had before.”

Robert nods, his piece said, and he leaves. He feels like a weight has been lifted, but his heart still hurts because all the way through, Aaron stayed silent.

 

 

*

 

Robert wakes up groggily to a knock at his door.

Aaron stands on the other side of it with a shopping bag, “Breakfast.”

“Okay?” Robert lets Aaron pass him. “Are you…are you okay?”

Aaron puts his bag down, “I knew you were playing me.”

Robert looks down at the floor.

“Your reputation proceeds you, Robert, woman after woman,” Aaron frowns, “then you said you liked blokes and that was just so _convenient_.”

Robert doesn’t want to interrupt, but he didn’t think it was convenient when he sucked Aaron’s dick on his sofa.

“Even if it wasn’t, you wanted me to sign your papers,” Aaron digs out a pack of eggs and some bacon. “Hand me a frying pan, will ya?”

Robert digs one out from the cupboard and the oil from the one closest to Aaron’s head.

“You had ‘bad idea’ written all over ya.”

“But you still—”

Aaron’s cheeks flush, “You were, y’know.”

Robert smiles, “So were you.”

“The rules seemed like a good idea. I figured, you wouldn’t keep to ‘em and I’d be proven right.”

“About my proposal?”

“About you. How you’d do whatever you wanted to get what you want, and someone like that didn’t deserve my family’s land.”

 _But I never did_.

“Big Bad Wolf Robert strikes again,” Robert sighs, and Aaron turns to him, hand touching his.

“You set yourself up for that fall, Robert, don’t lie.”

“Maybe so,” Robert gets the bread of his bread bin and puts some in the toaster as Aaron oils the pan.

“And everything else is just history, ain’t it? I kept fucking up the rules and when I shoulda stopped, I didn’t.” The ‘I didn’t want to’ is silent.

“Admit it, Aaron,” Robert tells him. He doesn’t realise until Aaron doesn’t say it that he needs to hear it.

“I liked ya. It was easy for us to be together, I hurt you because I knew I liked you. _Like_ you.”

Aaron keeps his focus on the frying bacon before he puts in the eggs.

“I like you too,” Robert tells him as he kisses Aaron’s cheek.

Aaron gently smiles and rolls his eyes, “Daft git.”

“So, breakfast?” Robert gestures to Aaron’s cooking.

“We started with sex, and then dinner, so maybe this time we start with breakfast.”

_Start?_

“You want to start over?” Robert hears the hope in his own voice.

Aaron’s face is still soft, “No rules, just—”

“Us?”

“Yeah, see if we do any better that way.”

 

 

They ate that breakfast together, went out for lunch and Aaron stayed while Robert cooked dinner. Then he left.

Robert can still feel the taste of Aaron’s kiss before he left, his phone buzzing before Aaron is even out of his building.

**D8 soon?**

Robert forces himself to not tell Aaron to come back up and stay the night, instead, he agrees: **free tomorrow**.

 

 

*

 

Robert and Aaron have been dating for a few weeks when the board meeting comes up and they sit side by side rather than across from each other. They haven’t broken their relationship news to anyone, so it’s all still very hush hush. They need to make sure they have ironclad protection from their own clauses within their own companies, but it all looks good so far, and at least they’ve talked about it.

Jimmy smiles as he reads out, “We have a last-minute addendum.”

Robert frowns, he doesn’t have anything on his schedule and Aaron’s folder is closed, he hasn’t even doodled this session, his fingers gently cupping Robert’s thigh.

“The Dingle family would like to offer the Sugdens the ownership rights to plot 041214, for the construction and opening of the Sarah Sugden Library and Foundation.”

“What?” Robert can’t keep his mouth closed, he turns his chair to look at Aaron.

“It’s already in motion, so, if that’s all, let’s go eat,” Jimmy tries to hasten everyone out as Robert sits gobsmacked in his seat.

“You hated my proposal.”

“I hated that you were a knob,” Aaron tells him as he gets up and loosens his tie, “Turns out, you ain’t a knob.”

“Is this because it’s my mum’s—”

Aaron looks down at him, “A bit, but you’re doing this for her because you care. And she deserves it.”

“We’ll sort contracts—”

“It’s a gift, Robert; as long as Sarah’s foundation helps young people and remains charitable, there is no cost to the land.”

“Aaron, you can’t.”

“What can I say, I’m bad at business. Shoulda gone to LSE.”

Robert gets up and kisses his boyfriend in full view of the glass windows.

 

 

*

 

During their new dating phase, sex had been very much off the table. It wasn’t a prescribed rule, but they both felt they didn’t need it. They needed to talk and get to know each other. Also, there’s a lot to be said about getting handsy over and under clothes combined with hot kisses.

With Aaron’s revelation, it feels like a tonight’s the night kind of situation.

And Robert is _nervous_.

 _Does he think I’m doing this as some kind of reward? Am I?_ Robert shakes his head. _My boyfriend did an amazing, generous and kind thing, and I want to touch him so bad_.

The state of his body tells him all he really needs to know. He’s excited and excitable, every noise makes him jump until he gets a small knock on his front door.

Robert practically jumps on Aaron as he opens the door, “Hiya.”

“Hiya?” Aaron laughs as he’s dragged inside.

Aaron’s face turns serious when he feels the change in Robert.

“C’mon,” Robert teases him, tugging on his soft black jumper. One from a brand Robert likes and he forced Aaron to get.

“Robert.”

“Either you can be a part of this or I’m going into the other room for a wank.”

Aaron eyes him, and that’s the thing about Robert, he doesn’t joke about sex, “A part of what?”

“Anything you want.”

 _Anything, just touch me, let me touch you_.

“Even if it’s just a kiss,” Robert whispers against Aaron’s mouth and Aaron pushes up on his toes to kiss Robert harder, letting Robert pull his body against his with arms around his back.

They half walk, half dance towards the bedroom, refusing to be separated, Robert laughing and Aaron jovially glaring at him until he gives up and laughs too.

 

There is no arrogance in the way Robert touches Aaron now, he traces the dips and valleys he already knows because he wants to, because he wants to hear Aaron sigh.

That’s a lie, there’s a tiny bit when he sucks Aaron’s cock because Aaron rocks and rolls, his body coiling tight and he forces himself to calm down, yanking on Robert’s fringe to get him to slow down. His mouth is red when he pulls off and pants, and he wetly rubs his own cock against his sheets.

Aaron still has hold of his hair, so he pulls Robert to get him to come up and lie on him, “Yeah?”

Robert gets up and opens his drawer for a condom and drops it on Aaron’s chest. It’s an offer, one he returns to Robert.

Robert grabs out the lube and drops it next to Aaron’s leg.

“You don’t have to, y’know,” Robert tells him.

Aaron nods, and bites his lip in at the corner, “I know. You don’t either.”

“I want to.”

Aaron nods again, sure.

“Okay then.”

 

Robert buries himself inside Aaron with his legs over his elbows, and he closes his eyes before breathes deeply, slowly drawing out.

Truthfully, it’s not much different to anything else they’ve done before, but the feelings he has, the desire to be more for Aaron tucks itself away inside him.

“I’ve gone soft,” Robert tells him, and Aaron looks down with a frown.

“Er—”

“Not—” He laughs and pushes his hips forward, “I went and caught feelings for ya, didn’t I?”

Aaron looks at him for a second before he snorts, amused, “Bit late now.”

“I’m having a moment.”

Aaron grabs Robert’s thighs and wriggles his hips down so that Robert is in deep as he can go, Aaron’s chest barely moving as he holds himself together, “Have one later, alright?”

Robert lets his body take the wheel, the drive and need to thrust and chase that definitive peak, but behind all of it is the strong feeling of his heart swelling inside his chest.

 _I think I’m falling in love with you_.

 

 

*

 

It becomes a thing that is constantly waiting to jump out. Lurking behind every corner, every time Aaron brings him a cup of coffee in bed, or they brush past each other making breakfast or their tea. Robert is a businessman. He likes facts and order, and deals where things are mutually beneficial.

 _Oh, the irony_.

Accidentally blurting out _I love you_ to a silent response is not Robert’s idea of good business. So, maybe he needs to set things up where Aaron might be just as willing to say it back.

That makes him feel worse because he doesn’t know if Aaron wants to say it back. He basically told Robert he didn’t trust him because he was about as trustworthy as a scorpion to a frog.

Food is definitely their thing, he could make one of Vic’s recipes that Aaron likes. He sits and ponders it, fingers steepled in his office when Aaron comes in with a shout hello.

Robert gave him a key last week. It’s not ‘let’s move in’, but _my space is your space too_.

He gets himself up off his chair and leans in the doorway, looking out on Aaron putting more shopping bags down on the counter.

“I got that curry paste you were talking about, took me ages to find it,” Aaron wrinkles his nose. Robert likes to cook, and by extension, he forces Aaron to at least keep him company while he does.

That love feeling swells up again as he thinks back to the times Aaron has sat just off side, watching him and asking him random little things as he chops and stirs.

They really are a couple.

 _So I should tell him I love him_.

“You want it for tea then?” Robert smiles, he knows when Aaron is angling for something. He’s not as subtle as he thinks he is.

Aaron gives him an innocent look, “Alright.”

“Alright then,” Robert laughs, standing up properly and going over to see what Aaron has bought.

To his surprise, Aaron actually has everything they need.

“Wow, ten out of ten.”

Aaron preens the tiniest amount before he gets out the big frying pan and pulls aside the Greek yoghurt and spices for the sauce.

“How was work?” Aaron asks him as they shuffle around each other getting out spoons, knives and chopping boards.

“My mum’s library is finally coming together with the architect,” Robert embraces the warm feeling he gets when he thinks about it, Aaron nudging his shoulder with his. “What about you? I was expecting you earlier.”

“Not much happened, Uncle Zak came in, people said hiya, I got trapped.”

“And you wanted a curry.”

Aaron makes a face, “Alright, yeah, I wanted a curry.”

 _Squash it, Robert, squash it_.

Aaron smiles and starts chopping up onions for the pan, Robert dicing up the chicken. Aaron scoops the Tilda packets out of the way after the onions have gone in so that Robert can chuck the meat straight into the pan – the beauty of this recipe is that it dirties up one pan and that’s it.

Aaron gets out the fish slice and gets ready to turn the chicken. Robert wraps his arms around Aaron’s waist and leans his chin on his shoulder.

“Should you be doing that?”

Robert hides a snuffling laugh against Aaron’s shoulder, “It’s cooking chicken, not nuclear fusion.”

He wipes his nose with the back of his hand to hide another laugh and busies himself opening the yoghurt ready for later, and Aaron turns the chicken and lets the other side brown. Robert adds in the spices, it’s a bit of trial and error, but they’ve had curry he’s made before and Aaron never shared any complaints about how much cumin he added.

Two dollops of yoghurt right before the end, rice in the microwave, it’s all pretty much sorted in less than 15 minutes.

Sitting at the dinner table, it’s soft and intimate because it’s so relaxed. Aaron has divested himself of his tie and unbuttoned his shirt from the top while Robert was lucky enough to change into his jeans when he got home.

 _I love you_ screams inside his head. It practically chokes him because a bit of chicken goes down the wrong way and Aaron has to get him a glass of water.

“Y’alright there?” Aaron looks at him with a cautionary eye.

 _I love you_.

“I—uh.”

“Robert?”

“Nothing.”

Aaron puts down the fork he just picked up, “What is it?”

“It’s really nothing.”

“Clearly it’s not.”

Robert looks at his plate. He and Aaron made this. Stood there in a tiny little space together and made this.

Aaron pulls his seat out again, and Robert feels a thrill of fear go through him that Aaron might get too frustrated and leave.

Instead, he gets on his knees in front of Robert, “I think I know what this is about.”

“You do?” Robert doesn’t think he’s let anything on.

“What with your mum’s stuff—”

“Oh.”

Aaron looks at him, “I love you.”

Robert feels the disappointment get thrown out the second he hears Aaron’s words, “What?”

“Sorry, it's just—”

Robert doesn't even stop himself, his heart speaking the words out of his mouth before his brain realises, “I love you.”

“Yeah?”

Robert wants to take that breathy ‘yeah?’ Aaron gives him and put it in a box somewhere for the rest of time.

“I thought it was just me,” he admits, accepting Aaron’s kiss as he gets up with gratitude.

“Why?”

Robert turns back to his dinner, Aaron moving to sit across from him again, “I’m not exactly trustworthy.”

“Robert—” Aaron bites his lips like he wants to confess something, “What do you think this is?”

He looks down at his food, “Er, tea…?”

 _Oh_.

Aaron was feeling him out in the same way Robert planned to feel him out.

Robert nods, “I guess we just have to go with our guts from now on, rather than our overthinking brains.”

“It’s not like I’ve had this with tons of men, Robert. I—” Aaron sighs, “Being gay, especially where we’re from—”

“I know.” It’s not the same, it will never be the same, but the looks, the stares people give, it can put anyone off putting themselves out there. Look at them, the _morality clauses_ in this day and age.

“I want it with you.”

Robert feels his heart explode and he has to peel off the pieces from his ribcage, his body willing him up and tipping Aaron’s head back for a kiss in return. Aaron’s hand cups his cheek, thumb rubbing on his jaw and Robert tries to pour all his love into that kiss.

He also thinks it’s pretty funny that they had the same idea, and it tickles him when he sits back down to finally finish his food.

 

 

They wash and dry up the plates together, more happy jostling, and then a regular cuddle session on the settee where it’s Robert’s turn to be the little spoon as Aaron catches up with the football.

“You want to be official?” Robert asks, his head moving with the rise and fall of Aaron’s ribcage.

“Hmm?”

“I know we kissed, and people know, but do you want to…be official?”

 _Go to HR, fill out a form, run the risk of being ousted from their companies_.

Soft fingers rub his back, “Yeah, I do.”

Rather than letting it be a reaction to Aaron’s, Robert shuffles up his body, kisses him and looks him in the eye, “Love you.”

He doesn’t need to hear it back, so he makes a nook for himself under Aaron’s chin and they carry on watching telly.

 

 

*

 

Robert realises that it’s almost a year to the day that he walked into Aaron’s office and found him kissing another bloke when he walks in, out and proud, as Aaron’s boyfriend.

People congratulate them. They fudged how they got together, the ‘ _we had a no-sex-sex contract_ ’ is a bit weird, but people aww over the ‘long days, late nights’ schtick.

“Wonder what they’d say if they knew what I did to you over my dinner table, or what you did to me in the upstairs loos,” Robert snarks as one of the more nosy people at Aaron’s office finally gets ousted out and Robert gets Aaron alone.

“Nothin’ good, so don’t tell ‘em,” Aaron shuffles his papers together. They’re going for a weekend away. South of France. It’s all very romantic.

“We should do a project together,” Robert tells him as he catches Aaron by the hips as he’s walking around his desk.

“Sure,” Aaron agrees and picks up a folder.

“I’m serious.”

“Let’s go on holiday first.”

Robert gawps a bit, “Are you testing me? Gotta take me on holiday to see if I’m really ‘boyfriend slash co-worker’ material?”

“Dunno, I figured I keep you longer than that.”

Robert sees the misstep Aaron thinks he makes and how his face seems to contort for a second of terror.

“Longer than a boyfriend slash co-worker? What? Like a husband?”

“No.”

Robert feels butterflies in his belly; _yes, a husband_.

“You’re never getting rid of me,” Robert tells him as he stands up for a kiss, Aaron trying to push him off because he refuses to be this mushy at work.

“Get off me, no,” Aaron is trying not to laugh as Robert chases him for a kiss.

“We’re getting engaged in the South of France, how lovely,” Robert makes his voice high-pitched and fancy.

“I’m gonna wallop and dump you in a minute.”

Robert lets his own laughter die down and he cups Aaron’s face, “I’d love to be your husband one day.”

Maybe it’s his sincerity, but it catches Aaron off-guard, and Aaron allows him a slow, easy kiss where Robert drives it, kissing his bottom and top lip separately and then together.

“You really were my best idea ever.”

Aaron looks at him and shakes his head, “You absolute—”

Robert makes his escape and opens Aaron’s office door to stop any more impropriety.

 

 

*

 

They don’t get engaged in the South of France. Robert is quietly disappointed. He does, however, get to enter into another deal with Aaron.

It takes forever to get there, another year, but when Robert signs his name, pristine and crisp in his best handwriting, and Aaron grinning at him as he takes the pen from him, he’s made up.

Aaron signs, and his words are quiet and for Robert alone, pressed against his ear, “I love you.”

Robert turns his face and kisses Aaron’s cheek, “I love you too.”

They kiss full on the mouth, and it’s done. _Officially husbands_.

 

From war, to love, to peace, their story had it all, when all it really needed was trust

                                                                                                                                                                        


End file.
